


Rabbit Hole

by phantisma



Category: Firefly, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-27
Updated: 2007-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-14 21:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/519800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantisma/pseuds/phantisma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Sheppard finds himself stranded, and a strange crew comes to his aid.  When his adventure is over he may never fully understand what happened...or exactly why...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rabbit Hole

“What in the hell?” John looked up from where he’d landed, well…rolled. The jumper was…above him, suspended in a tree, and he’d been thrown to the ground when the wind blew.

The wind had blown him around on his descent, which was how he’d ended up in the tree. “Mighty fine winds in these parts.”

John whirled, his gun in hand, only to find a few guns leveled his way. He held up his hands, the gun dangling from a finger.

“Don’t look like Alliance, sir.”

“Alliance?” Great, he’d landed himself in the middle of another war. “Not Alliance. United States Air Force. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard.”

“Lt. Colonel, eh? I’m Captain Malcolm Reynolds. This here’s my crew.”

John inclined his head as they lowered their weapons. “We saw your…landing.”

John looked up. “Not among my better ones.”

“Cross winds through here are pretty brutal.” She stepped closer and looked up into the tree. “We should be able to get you down though…and back in the air.”

“If I didn’t fry something.” John craned his neck to look up. “I’d be glad for the help though.”

“I’m Zoe, Captain’s Lieutenant. That there is Kaylee, our mechanic and Simon our doctor. You should let him have a look at your arm.”

John looked down at the gouge from when he’d fallen. “It’s nothing. A little Band-Aid and I’ll be fine.”

“Suit yourself.” She went back to her captain. “I’ll get Jayne.”

“Jayne?” John moved toward the group.

“Muscle. Not the brightest of my crew, but good in a fight.” Malcolm turned them and started walking. “Mind I ask where you come from, Lt. Colonel?”

“John, please. I’m…from Earth originally.”

The captain stopped walking, staring at him. “What did you say?”

John turned, his brow creased. “Earth. Born and raised. Most recently from Atlantis.”

He wasn’t prepared for the fist that slammed into his face, staggering backward and landing on his ass for the second time in a day. “Your mama should have taught you not to tell stories.”

“What?” John held up a hand to his bloodied lip. “What did I say?”

Malcolm huffed at him. “Earth that was…ain’t a one of us come from there.”

“Well I did.” John pulled himself up. “Did you say…was?”

“Ain’t no such place in known space as Atlantis…None I heard of anyway. Now you best be telling me honestly where it is you come from, ‘for I drop that can you came in on your head and be done with you.”

“Honestly, Captain, I’m just a little bit confused. I swear to you…when I was last home, Earth was just fine. I came here through the Stargate in orbit.”

“Star-what?”

“The big ring?”

Malcolm looked at him as though he was insane. “I’m gonna reckon you hit your head falling out of that thing, have the doc check you over. Make sure you’re fit.”

“Oh, I’m fit.”

“Doc!”

The one called Simon jogged up. “Captain?”

“Take our new friend here back on up to Serenity, check him over. He’s a might confused…maybe hit his head. Probably got a lungful of that crap too.” He gestured at the tree. “Zoe, you make sure you wear masks around those trees.”

“I’m fine.” John protested as Simon nodded.

“I’ve learned it’s easiest just to do as he says.” Simon offered.

 

“So, Simon…” John exhaled slowly and looked around the ships tiny infirmary. “You’re a doctor?”

He smiled. “You’re wondering how I got involved with Captain Reynolds.”

John winced as Simon poked at the wound on his arm. “You might say that.”

“Well, that, Lt. Colonel, is a long story.”

“Okay. Short version?”

Simon shrugged and began bandaging the wound. “My sister, River. She…we needed shelter, Captain offered it to us.” He turned his back, his hands moving over instruments. “What about you? That ship of yours looked like it had been in a fight.”

John nodded. He’d gotten separated from the Daedelus and cut off by hundreds of Wraith darts. He’d made a dash for the gate when he saw Daedelus jump to hyperspace and next thing he knew he was headed straight for the planet. “You could say that. I got separated from my ship and had to run.”

“And that nonsense about Earth?” Simon looked him in the eye.

“Not nonsense.” John countered. “I was there, two weeks ago.”

“Earth hasn’t been habitable in hundreds of years, Lt. Colonel.” Simon said, shooting a syringe into his arm. “Anti-biotic. So you don’t get an infection. There might be some bruising around the injection site.”

“Hundreds of years?” John shook his head. He’d heard that the gate could be used for time travel…in the right situations. Trouble was, he wasn’t sure what those situations were…and he’d only heard of going back in time. “Not sure what to tell you Doc. What year is this?”

Simon looked at him confused. “What year?”

“Yeah, what year is it?”

“Twenty-five nineteen. Let’s have a look at that head.”

 

 

Twenty-five nineteen. Two thousand, five hundred and nineteen. John shook his head. Five hundred and twelve years from when he had breakfast. He wished he had Rodney with him. Rodney would know how to fix this.

He stepped out of the ship, squinting into the setting sun.

“Oh, hello.” John looked up, startled. “I wasn’t told we had company.”

John smiled. “Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, ma’am.”

Her smile was soft, enchanting. “A pleasure, Colonel. I’m Inara.”

“Thought you was leaving.”

The smile faded and she turned to the Captain. “I am. Kaylee’s twiddling with something in the shuttle. Asked me to wait a few minutes while she makes sure I won’t blow up.”

“Wouldn’t want that.” John rocked a little on his heels.

The captain looked him over, then back at Inara. “Don’t wait too long. We’re off this rock in two days. Wouldn’t want you missing your ride.”

“No, we wouldn’t want that.” Inara rolled her eyes. “It was nice meeting you John Sheppard. I hope to see you again.”

“I’d like that.”

John watched her climb the stairs and cross the catwalk, disappearing through a hatch. “Pretty lady.”

Malcolm grunted something and hit John’s arm. “Aint much round here for shelter, figure you should oughta pass the night here. Your little can is right stuck. Gonna be tomorrow soonest ‘fore we can get it down.”

“I don’t want to put you out, or anything.” John said, following him.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head. I ain’t offering no posh accommodations. I got a couch in the common area. A blanket, maybe a pillow.” He pointed to a broken down couch. “We don’t got a lot, but we’re generous folk.”

He stopped, smiling as a young woman appeared in what John assumed was the galley. “This here’s River, Doc’s sister. River, I’d like you to meet—“

“Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, from Earth that was.” River said, her face open and wondering as she reached for John’s hand. “I heard. Simon said.”

Malcolm nodded. “You cooking tonight?”

She nodded and pointed over her shoulder. “Sent Jayne fishing. He brought back oysters.”

“Oysters? Oysters aint fish”

“Yes Captain Reynolds. Oysters, bunches of them. Don’t reckon he got ‘em fishing.”

“Well, then Colonel, I hope you like oysters.”

River was smiling at him and he couldn’t help but smile back. “Oysters…love oysters.”

“Quit making moony eyes at my crew.” Malcolm smacked his arm.

“Ow. I’m not making…Captain...” But Malcolm was gone, unlocking a cabinet and pulling out a bottle.

“Come, drink with me.”

“I don’t think—“

“Cap’n don’t trust a man what’s won’t drink with him.” River said before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Okay…one drink won’t hurt.”

 

 

Dinner came and went, and with it most of the crew, until it was just John and Malcolm, and what was left of the bottle. John was decidedly drunk. He figured that out when he ended up with his head in the good captain’s lap.

“So it isn’t just the women-folk you make moony eyes at?”

John blinked up at him, trying to figure out what to say to that, but before he could, the captain’s face got very fuzzy…and then there were lips on his and a tongue…and John kind of forgot what it was he was supposed to be saying.

“I…um…what?”

They’d talked about the Wraith…how he’d gotten there…about his crew and the Alliance and something called reavers…though John still wasn’t sure how he’d ended up with his head in the captain’s lap…it might have had something to do with the Rolling Stones and an air guitar…but he wasn’t sure….

Malcolm shook his head and got up, thumping John’s head back to the couch. “Ow.” John sat up, scratching at his head. He was disoriented and confused. He grabbed at the bottle, holding it up to the light. “What is this stuff?”

“Whiskey.” Malcolm said, turning back to face him. He was flushed, though whether that was on account of the whiskey or the kissing, was momentarily more than John could figure out. “Just whiskey.”

“Do you always kiss random men on the mouth after drinking just whiskey?” John asked, standing…sort of.

“No. No, I don’t. I just…” Malcolm wavered and stumbled into John, sending them both back to the couch. John felt the captain’s cock hard against his thigh. “You…I should…” He pushed himself upright. “Sleep…let you sleep I mean. This is your bunk.”

John nodded. “If that’s what you think is best, captain. This is your ship.”

“Yes, yes it is.” Mal got a few steps away and turned. “I…you befuddle me. All your talk of earth and time walking, rings in the sky…it’s the trees.”

“The…what?”

He looked like it hurt to say. “The trees. The ones you crashed your ship into. They…got a…thing about ‘em. Make people act…all crazy.”

“The trees do.” John stood, feeling strangely aroused by the captain’s seeming discomfort. It was...adorable.

“Make a person…think wrong things, turn you round.”

John stepped closer. “Maybe it’s the whiskey.” He kissed him. Just like that. Wanted to taste him, chase the fire of the alcohol into his mouth. Malcolm groaned and stumbled back, landing in a chair. John followed, keeping their mouths together, straddling his legs, feeling his own cock harden and press against the captain’s.

“Maybe.” Malcolm said when John finally ended the kiss. “I think we might have a problem." John grinned down at him and rubbed their cocks together.

“Problem?”

“Stop.” Malcolm was breathless, shaking his head.

“I don’t think you mean that.” John said, leaning in to kiss him again, keeping his groin in contact with the captain’s.

“No…maybe we should…private…”

“Private.” John felt him shudder under him, then a warm wetness was spreading. “Maybe a little late for private.”

Malcolm lurched to his feet, pushing John back, then dragging him down the corridor. “Bunk. Now.” He pushed open a hatchway and shoved John toward it.

“Yes, sir.”

 

 

“Captain!”

Malcolm leaped out of bed, naked and aching, bumping his head. “Zoe. This had better be important.”

“Got the Colonel’s ship down.”

“Is it running?”

“Can’t seem to figure how to turn it on, sir.”

“I’ll be up in a few.”

He crossed his arms and turned back to his bunk where John was stretching. “Morning.”

Malcolm didn’t respond, except to throw him his pants. “Not too talkative in the morning?”

“Your ship’s down.”

“I heard. Good news.”

“Means I won’t feel bad leaving you behind.” Malcolm reached for his own pants, then remembered he’d come in them the night before and went fishing for a different pair. “You seem like trouble to me.” He felt hands slide around his waist and pull him back.

“Not what you thought last night.”

“You…need to go see that it’s all in one piece. I need to see to my crew, and the job what I come here to do.”

Malcolm shrugged him off, then turned around and kissed him soundly. “They don’t need to know what went on down here.”

John scratched at his head. “Fair enough. I won’t be telling my team none about it either.”

“Good. Let’s get you on your way then.”

 

 

The jumper flew. She wasn’t in the best of shape, but she was airborne and would get him to the Stargate. Whether that would get him home or not, he didn’t know.

He could only hope that whatever strange anomaly had sent him forward five hundred years would also take him back. He held his breath and set out, dialing the gate as soon as he breached the atmosphere. It came to life and he flew in, emerging on the other side in a sea of space debris.

“Colonel Sheppard, do you copy?”

“Sheppard.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, sir.” John responded. “I had to hide. Took me a while to work my way back.”

“Stay put, we’re coming to get you.”

 

“You’re not going to tell me are you?” Rodney asked as he hooked up his laptop to the jumper’s systems.

“Nope.”

“Come on. I’ll bet I can figure it out.”

“Not on your life Rodney. I’m not telling you. Not today, not next week, and sure as hell not the week after.”

“Fine. But then I won’t tell you the story about how I single-handedly saved the Daedelus and—“

“Fine, it’s a deal.” John walked away, leaving Rodney with his mouth open, staring at his back. Trees that made a person crazy and whiskey that knocked him on his ass were nothing compared to what happened when he fell down the rabbit hole into Captain Malcolm Reynolds’ bed…and that was a secret, John Sheppard would take to his grave.


End file.
